Day+Five+December+7,+2009

This is the day our entire group has been anxiously awaiting! After meeting with the Provincial Director General (equivilant to the Texas Commissioner of Education) we visited two schools.



After meeting with the high level Provincial Authorities we set out for our school visits. The first school we visited was Xiamen Experimental Primary School. As we rounded the corner, we could hear a loud roar. Every one of the 1200 children at the campus were out front to greet us. They were singing in English "Welcome, Welcome, Warmly Welcome". The intermediate grade orchestra was accompanying the singing. We were each greeted with a lei and an incredible smile. Words really cannot describe the overwhelming feeling the members of the delegation felt.





The school devotes a large room to an art gallery to display the work of the students. Remember, this is a primary school and the oldest students are in sixth grade.







The school has a large gallery in which they display the accalades and awards achieved by their students while they are there.



After our fantastic visit to the primary school we were on our way to visit Xiamen No.1 High School. The name comes from the fact that this was the first school established in the city. It also happens to be the number one ranked high school in Fujian Province.





The Chair of the Biology Dept. took time to show us the rewards received by his students. The amount of pride in academic achievement is absolutely astounding.





The last thing we did at the No.1 High School was to visit with a group of 10th graders and their teachers. These students are incredibly focussed and motivated.